(Palm Beach Gardens) Author of seven birdies and victim of only one bogey, Kurt Kitayama shot 64 and took the lead at the Honda Classic on Thursday.
Posted at 7:59 p.m.
His birdies came in streaks of three and four in a row.
The second set of hits was capped off with a 20-foot putt.
At six under, Kitayama has a priority shot over Rory Sabbatini, Chris Kirk and Daniel Berger. Sabbatini won the tournament in 2011.
Kitayama is ranked 289and in the world. He plays a 26and tournament at the PGA.
“I didn’t expect such a good start, but I’ve been playing well these days,” said the Californian and former UNLV. I did well on the greens. »
He is not known for long drives, ranking 74and of the circuit at this level.
Victorious last week in Los Angeles, Joaquin Niemann scored a par of 70, helped by a pass of three birdies in four holes.
Defending champion Matt Jones had to settle for a 73; last year he started the tournament with a 61.
Canadians Adam Svensson, Roger Sloan and Taylor Pendrith are five shots behind the leader.
Also from the maple leaf, Mackenzie Hughes and Michael Gligic shot 70, while Nick Taylor brought home a 77.
Svensson birdied three in a row from the second hole.
A limited number of players were unable to complete the course, due to darkness.